Silence of the Bats Vol I (Batman v Hannibal)
by Ambidextrous Snake
Summary: Years after his last encounter with Clarice, Dr Lecter is re-captured and transferred to Arkham Insane Asylum in Gotham City. But Batman suspects he has deliberately placed himself there using his connections from his career as a psychiatrist. But why? Batman must infiltrate Arkham to confirm his suspicions - and prevent him from turning the uneasy institution in on itself forever.
1. Chapter 1

BREAKING NEWS:

** Hannibal Lecter transferred to Arkham **

After being apprehended late last night the infamous shrink turned homicidal cannibal is said to be moved into a more secure facility, indefinitely. The long-time maximum security insane asylum, Arkham in Gotham City. However, officials have growing concerns of the safety of the other prisoners as it wouldn't be the first time he has seriously harmed fellow inmates both mentally and physically.

Arkham spokesman said in response to the poor timing of the transfer: "We ensure that the staff and budget cutbacks are but a rumour, Arkham will be operating as normal throughout the time of the transfer."

The transfer is thought to take place early hours of the morning between 1 and 3am.

"A man like that doesn't belong in Arkham, they had facilities catered specifically to him in the southern states. Putting him there of all places doesn't make sense. I think he wants to be in there." Batman theorized, his eyes studying all the data on his bat computer like a chessboard.

"Perhaps he has a connection to the place, sir. Or Pulled some strings?" Alfred intelligently suggested.

Batman made a 'hmm' sound in thought. What kind of history? What connection would allow him to go there over any other facility?

Batman read from his computer to Alfred after pulling up all Hannibal's known records. "It is a well-known fact he was an accomplished forensic psychiatrist before Will Graham apprehended him. He may have ties to the Asylum and influenced the right people to ensure he goes there. Exactly where _he_ wants." Batman began tapping away at his batcomputer, homing in on the armoured transport. "Transport arrives in approximately thirty minutes."

"I'll put your tea on hold then sir." Alfred joked.

Batman, already in his suit made a move for the batplane, which was raising from a circular platform from the watery depths of the batcave.  
"A little overkill don't you think Master Bruce?"

As Batman hopped in and started the jets up, he explained himself "I'm not taking any risks, the faster we are the less damage he can do from the inside if his intentions are as I suspect."

"Not to mention Arkham is on an island sir."

Batman nodded, the Batplane faced the exit of the batcave, water pouring down from the outside rain like a waterfall conveniently concealing the cave. Batman pushed the thruster to maximum, and after about a two second wait the Batplane shot off in a stream of fog, spraying the pools of condensated water all over Alfred. "Charming." He said, wiping his face and mounting the batcomputer.

As the Batplane gained altitude, Alfred's wet face popped up on the pilot's heads up display.

"Judging by your current speed, you should be there within a few minutes." Alfred said.

"Alfred, start scanning the Asylum, I want to know what security is like."

"Uhh...The budget cuts were no rumour. There seems to be ten, maybe eleven perimeter guards and an additional two-dozen inside the entire Asylum from the scheduled shifts."

Batman tensed, feeling something was very wrong. There should be way more guards on duty, he hoped that hadn't underestimated Hannibal. The wind began to pick up as a storm started to roll in. It was 2am, and the rain had just started pelting the Batplane like bullets as it roared into the sky. As he got closer to Arkham island the rain got heavier, its wings shook under the increasing turbulence causing Batman to activate additional thrusters under the plane's belly. Now cutting through the storm, Batman could now see that Arkham was in viewing distance. Strangely, the West lighthouse was off for the first time in many years. In fact, some of the perimeter lights were deactivated.

Suddenly, Alfred interrupted. "Sir, after checking the forecast the storm looks to be getting worse."

"I know, but by applying maximum thrust I should be largely unaffected by the conditions."

"That's not the biggest problem, sir. All the lights on your landing zone seem to be switching back on."

Now Batman was worried. He could now see the perimeter lights all switching on, forming a bright haze where he needed to land. Arkham owed its survival to Batman, maybe they were trying to help. "It may have worked in our favour." Batman suggested.

"I can try to find out why the lights were off in the first place." Alfred informed him. Batman began to slow his speed, approaching the island but was now a little more affected by the wind.

The plane rocked a little now, and Batman countered this by turning the other way slightly, an easy maneuver to stop a potential disaster.

Alfred came back, intrigue strained in his voice. "It seems they were manually switched off and now back on, no doubt by Arkham's staff. Definitely not a power cut."

Batman was practically there, he was set to engage hover and land around the back of the Asylum, on the rocky coast. It was there Batman knew of an entrance that he could use to sneak in and scope out the area, if there really was something going on.

"Alfred, you said Lecter may have connections with the staff of Arkham…"

"Yes sir, I did indeed."

"If you're right, I think he could have used his connections to the staff to manipulate his incarceration, he may even have people inside the Asylum helping h-" Batman was interrupted by what he could only perceive to be beam of light out of nowhere. It was so bright and sudden Batman didn't have time to reach down to activate the cockpit's sun-shield. Already having it sear his vision, he had to let one hand go to protect his eyes. Slowly, the thruster he had his hand on decreased in power, causing the hovering batplane to rumble and start to flake away against the tidal wind. Batman, realising that by releasing manual control the batplane was quickly losing altitude, to save the plane and himself he would need to get out of the way of the light first. All of this chaos happened in less than a few seconds. Seeing Arkham's roof sliding away to be soon in the distance, Batman opted to eject in the hope of falling onto the roof, rather than the 40ft drop onto rocky ground level head. Quickly, the roof was melting away from him and so was his time to make the jump. Still being blinded by the constant light, which was still in mystery, he flicked up the eject button and was launched upwards and outwards. Keeping his eyes low to avoid the light, he extended his cape to slow his fall and landed on the roof like a feather. Suddenly the light was off of him, and followed the rapidly descending batplane until it was inches from the ground. Batman, now being able to see what he was doing, managed to save the batplane from a rocky demise by switching on the autopilot via his wrist's device. After a single bump and tumble across the rocks, the batplane's engines powered back on and soon it was high up in the air, making itself gone from sight. Batman lowered his wrist, sending the batplane back to the batcave on standby and for repairs. He could finally see where the harsh light was emanating from. It was one of the island's huge watch-tower mounted searchlights. It pierced the mist easily, as if it was made for that exact purpose. No wonder Batman couldn't see, it's glare was penetrating and escape once targeted was near impossible. It was still searching the air, trying to find where the batplane was lurking, but by that time the plane had already disappeared from detection. Luckily, the plane had provided a distraction and allowed the tiny figure of Batman to safely reach the rooftop. It wasn't a complete failure after all. But someone was operating that light, and it wasn't someone who wanted him there. Batman could see what was going on, Lecter has some of the staff in his pocket, that's why the power switched on when Batman arrived. That's why he was targeted by the light and is why he must exercise extra-caution when infiltrating the building. At this stage, he had to presume every member of the Arkham security force was working for Lecter. They couldn't all be working for Lecter...What people would he have influence over?

For once, Batman felt protective over Arkham's patients. Their lives were in as much danger as any innocent hostages in the building.

"Do you read me sir? Master Bruce?"

Alfred was a little fuzzy because of the storm, but luckily Batman could hear him fine.

"I'm here."

"Where exactly is 'here' sir?"

"I ran into some trouble whilst landing. The 200watt spotlight on the tower targeted me. I had to eject on the roof. Can you tell me what wing I'm above?"

"Yes, one moment." Alfred began tracking Batman's GPS module, while processing. Alfred asked. "And how do you plan on getting back? The batplane seems to be hovering outside the cave."

"I'm not planning on swimming."

"Yes well, trained by the League of Shadows and afraid of a little water. Very well...Ah, yes, you're on top of the West Wing."

There, Batman figured it out. "The West Wing…- Above the medical medical facility?"

"Correct."

"No wonder the other searchlights didn't target me." Batman paused, Alfred waited intently. "Lecter has control of the West Wing, using the few staff on shift tonight to do his bidding. No wonder only the West Wing took defensive action. The rest of the Asylum are completely ignorant of his takeover. That means that the few members of staff left on the West Wing have some kind of affiliation with him. Lecter wouldn't have access to his funds, so they must either be sympathisers or…"

"Ex-colleagues, perhaps? I don't think it's a coincidence he has control of the medical facility."

"I need you to look into this while I find a way inside."

"As you wish." Alfred went off comms to further his research, looking up how a renowned psychiatrist such as Hannibal Lecter could be affiliated with the medical staff inside an mental asylum. The dots started to connect. It quickly became obvious to them. Lecter must have been there at some point during his career, and has come back for someone or something.

Batman moved along the roof, searching for a top window he could break. But he didn't want to alert the guards, of which there could be ten or so of them in this wing. He thought about wrapping his fist inside his cale to muffle the sound of the glass breaking. But he didn't need to do that. Batman had a micro laser cutter tool less than a centimeter thick in one of the pouches of his utility belt. It was a tiny device, and could be easily mistaken for a mini maglite torch. Carefully Batman began cutting the window's rusty lock open. That's when he counted only one lonely guard below him, armed only with a baton. The loft was small, with two adjacent side windows and a single stairwell.

Batman slowly opened the squeaky roof window. He had hoped its screeching would quiet down as he inched it open but instead it just whined loud enough for the security guard below to hear.

Just as the guard raised his head, Batman dropped straight down on him like semi on a sedan. The floor below him must have heard the bang of the guard's limp, unconscious body. Batman knew they would be rushing up the stairs immediately, he could hear their booted footsteps against the creaking wooden steps.

Batman dragged the body enough to hide it from being instantly spotted. Batman had a plan.

The guard's were mere feet away from the room and there was no door separating him from them. He held his breath, sleek as a shadow next to the doorframe.

Batman exhaled, clutching a single batarang. He threw it quickly at the window, smashing it to pieces as expected. The guards rushed up the stairs straight to the broken window, completely unnoticing of the figure that lurks towards them.

There were two, one with pistol in hand and the other, attempting to click on his radio. Batman swooped behind them, kicking the radio operator out of the window to a nasty, fatal fall. Batman then deflected the armed guard's attempt at a pistol whip with his arm and crashed down on his collarbone with his elbow. This sent him to the floor instantly, enabling Batman to retrieve his grappling hook and save the other from a concrete splatter demise just in time. Batman reeled the panic stricken guard back up to the window, who was too much in shock to scream as Batman hoped. Now at the window, Batman interrogated him, capitalising on the fact he was hanging upside down twenty five feet in the air suspended only by a single grappling cable.

"Hannibal hired you. Why?" Batman roared.

"H-Han..The prisoner?" The guard stuttered underneath Batman's gaze like many before him.

"I know you're working for him!"

"No...nn-no Batman, we were just expecting him now. I swear if he's here I don't know about it!"

"Then why is your security team trying to kill me?"

"W-we had orders - from the doctors….They told us that you were gonna try and snatch the prisoner up..I swear that's all I know."

Batman could see he was telling the truth, and stunk of sweat….or another bodily fluid.

"We've been played. Lecter must have control over just the psychiatric staff which in turn order you. Don't you understand? He's running the place."

Batman hoisted him up and back into the room, he sat next to his colleague, who was clutching his broken collarbone. 'Explain the situation to them. Keep quiet. When I'm finished here I'll reach you on radio when you can alert the authorities. For now, we stay quiet."

"What about him?' The guard pointed, looking at the unconscious one slumped to the side of the doorframe.

"He's just unconscious. Be next to him when he comes around and tell him what happened. "

The guard moved toward the unconscious one, checking his vitals which were indeed intact.

He then looked back up while saying "What do we do if you _don't_ come back?"

But to his surprise, Batman had disappeared from sight. This was no surprise to collarbone man, who tutted after seeing that old trick too many times to count. They sighed, and got as comfortable as the loft allowed.

Apprehensively they waited. They knew that Batman would have to take more than just them down. The guards just hoped Batman doesn't hurt their ignorant colleagues too badly, but took pleasure in knowing Hannibal wouldn't be spared that same mercy. They worried that if Hannibal could fool the whole wing's security, and had control of the high ranking staff, he had complete control on his own terms...His own battlefield...Perhaps then he could be the one to equal Batman. That one man after all was no common psychopath - a master surgeon, psychologist, an agent of unpredictability and one with no code or morals and therefore no boundaries. Batman's new, greatest adversary.

One thing was sure of, whether Batman would indeed return as promised - they were in for one hell of a night. .


	2. Chapter 2

After getting to the bottom of the stairwell Batman noticed a group of guards sporting mixed weapons. The loft men were just sentries. This was the real security force. Stab vests, compact-submachine guns and electrified stun batons.

Batman attempted to contact Alfred. "Did you find anything?"

"Yes Master Bruce, it says here that as soon as Hannibal graduated he came here to work as a senior psychiatrist. He stayed for a few years before moving down south."

"There must be more…" Batman quizzed.

Alfred assured "There is…" Alfred paused, presumably squinting at the small text through his outdated glasses. "During his time at Arkham, he familiarised himself with many of the staff members...He even built up a strong following, he would send his intern students to perform his research. All the data was kept in the Asylum archives. The only explanation is that in those archives somewhere is a contingency plan, something to even the odds perhaps. This of course explains why the three doctors on the West Wing shift are doing his bidding - they're part of the sociopathic following he built up during his career there…All now seasoned and trusted employees."

Batman was speechless. But moreso, he was angry. And the only way he could progress further into the West Wing was to pass these guards. The only way into medical and Intensive care unit where the archives were stored was through this single corridor. Batman needed leverage, so he hollered to Alfred.

"I'm going to patch you into the cameras."

Butterflying to the security room door along the corridor, he was not spotted. The door was locked, and Batman didn't have time to hack into it with his cytographic hacker module. He was going to be seen by the guards - the corridor was full white, all lights on and he was a caped vigilante clad in black. Unless he could phase through walls there was no stealth approach this time. He figured he could take one of the guard's keycards to get into the camera room to locate Hannibal anyway.

Batman took a breath, and stood upright from his crouched position. He began stode to the 4 guards who were engaged in typical Gotham football chat. The Gotham Rogues had beaten the Metropolis Meteors again. His footsteps were silent and they still didn't hear him until he was within a few feet of them. They turned, half in shock and the other half in adrenaline fueled fight mode. "It's the Bat!" One exclaimed

Batman expected a fight, but didn't want to risk crippling them. "Your orders are to stop me. I'm asking you not to. Hanni-"

Before Batman could finish, a guard he did not see struck him with a shock baton directly on the back of his head. He must have came from the security office, the man on the cameras. Batman had genuinely forgot about the one-way window overlooking the corridor. The Dark Knight himself had just been crept up on. _Shit_.

Quickly, the others began to join in on the assault. 5 guards. Three with batons. Two with compact-submachine guns - that translates into three real combatants and two which are as good as unarmed at this range.

Batman hated shock batons, it was no coincidence Gotham's most successful gangs used them for a sole purpose - it hurt Batman the most. The current disrupted all the technology on his suit, he had to fight completely fair now. Well - almost fair.

The hit had not only been the hardest the guard could pull off, but the impact Bman lurching forward into the group, who capitalised on his vulnerability. Suddenly, the two other baton men began hitting him strategically in the elbows and thighs as trained - his muscles would contract causing him to lose control of those limbs. But Batman was the master of resistance, and a master of recovery. Even though he suffered a few jolts to his sides. Batman regained his stance and was ready to kick some.

Batman used the only piece of gear on his person that didn't require electricity. His smoke bomb. Time to even the odds. During the beatdown he popped a smoke grenade onto the ground when the others were too distracted to notice it. It exploded in a haze of grey smoke. The Stun batons had a blue glow on the end to signal that they were on, allowing Batman to see them clearly through the smoke.

Now wildly thrashing their batons, Batman went low, sneaked behind and and took out the guy who had landed the first lucky hit. Sliding his legs under the man, it took him to the ground. Batman then made sure he didn't get back up by giving him some of his own medicine, shocking him via his own baton in the chest cavity. 1 incapacitated, two batons and two guns to go. The group completely disassembled. They could hear what they imagined was him and felt his cape waving around them, and struck at random. Batman went to take out the closest guy before the smoke thinned out. Disarming the guard's sub-machine gun easily, he gripped the barrel and thrust upwards so it caught him on directly on the forehead. With a clonk, he went down.

In his peripheral vision, he spotted a blue glow heading towards his shoulder. Batman in one movement used his hardened, blade-blunt weapon resistant gauntlet to deflect the strike. The gauntlets were different from his flexible titanium dipped tri-weave bodysuit, they were made from hardened kevlar resistant to bullets, knives and blunt trauma. A strong, committed punch blocked by his gauntlets could potentially shatter an untrained hand. But most of all kevlar was an insulator - shock resistant. Batman then grabbed the guard's baton hand and began to turn it on itself until he was forced to drop the weapon or risk dislocating his wrist. Batman was ready to deliver a merciful knockout blow when the man's whole body began to cease up and shake, before falling like a plank towards Batman. Batman stepped to the side to notice his friend had just accidentally fried the wrong man and screeched as he realised he had sacrificed his footing for the caped figure to expose. Batman punched him in the solar plexus, just under the chest cavity. This ceased his ability to control his breathing, winding him and causing his abdomen to spasm. The smoke was just a light haze now and Batman saw the short barrel of a submachine gun pointed in his general direction but not quite at him.

Bangbangbangbang.

He launched the struggling, clumsy guard backward, slamming him into the wall but saving him from being bullet fodder to his own confused comrade. Batman, displeased with that close call threw himself at the armed guy, who had just sunk in the fact that he missed and would've hit his friend if not for Batman. At that moment of confusion, he practically submitted to Batman's knee to the stomach and subsequent elbow atop his back.

And that was it. All five men incapacitated. Maybe a broken rib here and there for them but no crippling injuries. After all, they deserved it after almost taking each-other out. Batman was sure that if he had instead just crawled out of the room they would've finished themselves off. They all lay on the ground now, each with a keycard poking out of their back pocket.

Batman scanned himself into the security room, which had CCTV of the whole wing.

"Alfred, I'm patching you in." Batman said efficiently, without emotion.

Alfred noticed he was slightly out of breath. "Early bed tonight sir?"

Batman said, embarrassed. "A security guard got the drop on me."

Alfred couldn't help but laugh. "On _you_? Maybe we should employ him…" Batman sighed, accepting his punishment both physically and socially.

Batman had time now to use his cytographic hacking module and began rotating his thumbs in a circular motion as if solving a jigsaw or using a game's controller. As Batman moved his thumbs along the phone sized screen, the device would work by sending radio frequencies at the computer which would bounce back, increasing in frequency the closer he was to the firewall's passcode.

Finally, the frequency got so high it stopped bouncing back. This signified that the current selected algorithm was right and it quickly began deciphering the firewall and gave him access in no time. His device could be used for any electronic systems including keycard locks, cameras and of course computers but required him to be in close proximity to the targeted device.

"I now have full access." Alfred relayed.

Alfred started to look at the checkered multi-camera feed, and soon found Hannibal's location.

"Through the only corridor, take a left to go through the psychiatric holding cells all the way down to the end. He has strategically disabled the cameras in that specific room so I presume he and what he seeks is in there."

"I'm on my way." Batman informed, throwing the double doors aside as he turned left. Oh, how Batman remembered this place. This was where they temporarily kept Arkham's most insane and dangerous patients, those that required constant monitoring and/or sedation. Over the years, these cells had held the likes of the Bane, Joker, Poison ivy, Harley Quinn and many more courtesy of Batman. Surprisingly, despite Lecter's potential for chaos had not chosen to unlock all cell doors despite having the power to at any moment. It was actually rather quiet...and the Wing was operating normally under Lecter's silent dictatorship as if he was playing warden.

As Batman passed the halfway mark of the cell block, chatter from two cells caught his ear. Curious, he walked to cell 13's door. "An easy one. Fire." The scarred Victor Szasz said to himself insanely, while etching marks into the floor with his bloody fingernails. "Gravity!" Szasz exclaimed. Then Batman saw who he was speaking with. The Riddler was next door, providing the excited Szasz with an endless amount of riddles. "Another?" Riddler asked. Szasz was easily amused by this riddle game. He was good at it, and after spending months in the Asylum anything would beat sitting in silence. "Another." Szasz ordered. Batman watched as the Riddler had spotted him too, sitting up. "A classic one this time. I have a tail, and I have a head, but I have no body. I am _not_ a snake. What am I?" Riddler asked. Szasz took a few seconds to stop his obsessive nail scribbling. "A coin." Riddler nodded. "Bingo." Riddler stood up now, curious to see Batman here. Szasz kept pestering Riddler for another go, so Riddler shut him up.. "What is so fragile that when you say its name, you break it?" Szasz took a few moments before working it out, silence. The answer was _silence_. Szasz, displeased but suffering no loss took the hint and moved from the wall to lay on his bed. No interest in Batman or Riddler's upcoming conversation.

"I take it you're here for the hostage?" Riddler presumed.

"Hannibal has a hostage? _Who_?"

Riddler mocked Batman's nickname as he had done at every chance. " _World's greatest detective. Hmm._ " Riddler saw his opportunity to have his fun. "Qualified psychiatrist." Riddler gave Batman a clue, but that could mean anyone working in the facility, even some of the criminals here were former psychiatrists.

"Give me a name Nigma."

Riddler smiled, giving him yet another clue. "She."

Female qualified psychiatrist. Hmm. Batman wanted just one more clue.

"One more clue, Batman?...Perhaps we can strike a deal?"

"I'm in no mood for your games."

"Neither am I. You see Lecter confiscated my journal of riddles before you arrived. Likely to solve them and entertain himself as he finishes lunch. A grave mistake I know. So here's what I propose. When you catch him, _if_ you catch him...please do not bring him back here…He simply doesn't belong, even as one of us...I want him out of Gotham." Maybe, although Riddler would never admit it, it was him finally recognising an intellectual rival other than Batman. And Riddler was right. He was a completely different caliber of criminal, one that even Gotham's villains both feared and hated.

Batman hesitantly nodded.

"Inmate on this ward."

That was it. Batman knew the answer and asked Alfred to confirm. "Alfred. Check the cell blocks, there should be one missing. Wait.." Batman remembered her cell's number from when he last put her there. "Check number thirty-eight."

"Uhh..it's empty sir…"

A female mental patient at Arkham, one with a background in psychiatry. And now Alfred had confirmed it. Lecter had taken Harley Quinn for reasons yet to be revealed.

Batman glanced at the thick metal door to Hannibal, where he was likely keeping Harley too. He pressured Riddler now. "What does he want with her?"

"A shrink party? I don't know exactly Batman. All I have is a riddle for you." Batman accepted, anything would be useful right now.  
"Until I am measured, I am not known. Yet how you miss me, when I have flown."

"Time." Batman guessed quickly, afterwards hearing a childish moan from Szasz in the other cell.

"Time is of the essence, I don't think he was planning on keeping her for long once he's extracted what he wants from her. I'm not sure why you would want to save such a tortured soul, but if you do you better fly, Bat." Riddler made a fluttering sound with his ill fitting trouser legs, and watched intently as Batman ran for the door.

"Alfred, Lecter has Harley Quinn hostage. I'm going into the intensive care unit now."

Alfred pondered. "Two former psychiatrists in one room, both with career backgrounds at Arkham. There's your connection."

Batman was tempted to go in guns blazing as it was. Theatricality and deception. Maybe he could employ both. He slid the viewing grate of the door to the side so he could peer through the window. But it was too late, as soon as his eyes met the room's, his gaze was intercepted by none other than Hannibal's, who stood mockingly behind a strapped down Harley on a wheelchair. She seemed heavily out of it, drugged.

Hannibal stared into Batman's soul, and smirked before a guard slid the viewing slit shut. So Hannibal knew Batman was there. And this reinforced door seemed to be the only way in.

However, this could work to Batman's advantage. Hannibal was expecting him to blast through that door, and with his explosive gel he was tempted to. Batman wanted Hannibal so badly now. Harley was a craze like the rest of them - but Hannibal was going to end up killing her and anyone who stood in his way of whatever it is he wanted on those archives.

Suddenly, the PA system erupted. With a loud screech and static, a clear voice emerged.

"Hello Batman." Hannibal greeted.

Batman saw behind him three guards heading toward him. Their boots squeaked along the sterile floor.

They were clad in thick riot gear when he spotted their armaments too. They wore heavy padding along their chest and limbs, as if they were hockey players. Helmets compete with plastic visors and one sporting an ugly gas mask. Gas mask man stood behind his comrade, who held a full body riot shield out in front. Gas mask man had a shotgun, a Remington that would likely convert Batman, even with all his armour to mush. The third guy, a half body shield and sidearm in hand, again ducked next to the shield.

Batman turned, moving his feet cautiously. Hannibal continued to speak pleasantries all throughout the confrontation - no doubt a tactic to distract him.

He was around the corner from the security room, with prisoner cells along the medium sized corridor he stood in- with no cover. Batman would make his own cover.

"I hope Gotham has been treating you well Batman, from the stories I've heard you deserve a rest." Hannibal said, and continued speaking as Batman engaged the attackers.

"Don't move Batman!" Shotgun man's muffled voice shouted through his tight gas mask.

Batman stood very still, slowly moving his hand toward his belt. "I said don't-"

Batman threw forward his grappling gun, instantly firing the hook at the bulletproof full body riot shield, and just about snatched it from the shielder's grasp. Unfortunately for the Bat, the guy with the one handed shield was on hair trigger, landing a well placed round in his abdomen. It was lucky not to have landed in the weaker ribbed section on his side. Still though, it hurt like a bitch.

Batman scrunched in pain as the bullet had partially breached his light Kevlar mesh and broke skin. Maybe fractured a rib too. The shield had still flung some distance, and made it almost within Batman grasp as it slid along the floor. Batman dropped to his knee and leaned against the wall for support. The wall strategically next to the riot shield.

They moved closer to either finish him off or apprehend him. They were still guards, still under the impression they were working for the warden and not a psychopath posing as one.

They were halfway across the cell-block corridor now, which if quick enough, would allow Batman to take the shield. At which point, they would open fire. Batman just hoped they didn't fire at him before his hand reached the sprawled shield. All the prisoners spectated with their faces against the glass, and it actually sounded like they were cheering Batman on.

"Move in with caution" They approached, inching closer with fingers on the trigger. Batman posed as if he was mortally wounded, but as they were soon to find out he had a lot more fight left in him. Batman suddenly rolled forward, dodging their lethal reaction and picking up the shield in the movement. He broke out of the roll and into a charge - holding the shield in front. Visibility through the transparent shield disappeared as shotgun pellets marked it and 45. rounds littered its front.

Bullets unable to cut through the shield, Batman was able to slam into both shotgun and unarmed-shieldless man. This, understandably sent them sprawling back.

Just as the half shield/pistol guard went to fire at point blank range, Batman parried the shot - sending it pinging off a steel cell door. Batman held the shield in one hand and launched his fist under the guard's armpit with such force it must have dislocated. The arm crunched out of its socket and his hand shakily dropped the pistol.

Wincing in pain, the guard stepped back and was open to another attack. Batman went to finish him but saw shotgun man on the floor aiming to take another shot. Batman raised his right hand and his shield deflected the blast. Quickly, Batman used his left hand to punch the injured guard's face, easily denting the plastic visor and sending him to the ground.

Now unarmed, shieldless guy charged at Batman with the only thing he had left, a standard baton. He thought he could land an obvious overhead swing, but Batman just stepped towards him and smacked the shield directly on his forehead. It was the same as running into a concrete wall. He fell down, in an instant sleep.

All the prisoners erupted now.

"Fuckin' kill 'em Batman!"

"Get him Bat!"

"Break his leg!"

The inmates savagely cheered, they hadn't seen a fight in a long time and this was pure entertainment. The inmates knew Lecter was in control...and hated him more than they would ever hate Batman. They roared encouragement when the angry Bat turned to the last guard.

Batman saw shotgun guy propped up against the wall, loading in another set of cartridges. He desperately loaded the last one in and pumped it.

Turning the smoking barrel to Batman, he just needed to angle it a few more degrees up for an easy kill.

Batman in a tantrum just threw the lightweight shield he still held at the guard. It hit him with its edge, Batman was an expert batarang thrower they remembered.

It flew like a discus into his trigger arm. Ouch. Batman presumed with the body padding it would be okay, but without it could have cut through his flesh.

His arm, bruised from the shield's edge thrown by an Olympic-class athlete went limp. The barrel now faced away from Batman but he was by no means disarmed and could easily return to aiming.

But by that time it was too late. Batman stood over the guard, taking the shotgun from him and breaking its base in half with his brute strength. Batman picked him up from the floor, tore his gas mask off and gave him a mighty headbutt. As soon as the guard's mask was removed, Batman could see his green eyes. He knew it was over. The hardened graphite of Batman's cowl sent the man instantly into a limp unconsciousness.

After dragging each body out of the way of the metal entrance door, and locking the weapons in the security room around the corner, it was only then Hannibal finally stopped talking and waited for B-Man in appropriate silence. Batman strung all the guards together, all six of them tied together via a single high-tensile strength Wayne Tech cable in the two corridors. He couldn't risk them sneaking up on him _again_. Whilst in the security room, Batman saw something that would be the cornerstone of his master plan to enter Intensive Care stealthily. Blow the door as Hannibal expected. While everyone's got their eyes trained on the door, enter through the ventilation shaft that was hidden by the security room's old box air con unit. Like many of the unmarked nooks and crannies of 100 year old Arkham, Hannibal would not have anticipated this entrance. But before Batman finished lining the entrance door with explosive gel and tearing the air con box from the wall...Batman left a rather.. _shocking_...present for those in the room who were commanded to enter the corridor and eliminate Batman.


	3. Chapter 3 - Final

Batman acted quickly, crawling into the ventilation shaft but not before leaving a trap. The vent went upwards and gradually got bigger until he could go from crawling to crouching. About now, he should be above the cells. This was confirmed when he passed a grate directly above the left set of corridor cells. Batman kept hearing a metallic clink in a three second interval. Batman was directly above their cells now, with every grate making up part of the inmate's ceiling. Batman caught glimpses of all the inmates below him, and soon he found the noise's source.

Through the grate, Batman could spot Two-Face in his cell, tossing his coin again and again.

Two-Face flipped it again, and looked up to see it fly high in his cell. That was when his eyes met Batman's. The coin spun in the air, before Two-Face let it fall onto the hard floor. Two-Face watched Batman sneak over his cell's ceiling grate.

Two-Face was the last cell, next to the metal reinforced door that led to Hannibal. Batman could see a guard peeking through the viewing slot of the door, so he waited until he moved away from the door before detonating his explosive gel. The gel caked the outside of the door, which should blow it straight out of the reinforced bolted frame. Even if the door didn't blow completely out in one whole piece, it would still create the distraction he needed.

After a squeeze out of the cell block shaft and into the next, Batman now sat in the shaft system above the main room of Intensive Care. There he looked for a grate so he could scout exactly what he was dropping into, or onto. Barely, he could see Hannibal and hostage Harley in the middle. He could hear a few guards communicating and saw one with riot gear. He presumed the rest would also be in riot gear. They must either be corrupt or think Hannibal is some kind of...Doctor..

Hannibal was dressed in the Head of Psychiatry's coat, complete with his ID. Hannibal's face wasn't generally known in Gotham, even to law enforcement, so it was no surprise to Batman that some of the guard's didn't recognise Hannibal as the far-away serial killer he was. Batman struggled to see through the square grates above the room. If he wanted to drop down through the ceiling, and neutralise all threats - including Hannibal, he would have to be very quick and utilise all of his training.

Batman detonated the explosive. It was an echoey boom, as the sound pinged off of all the cell doors and throughout West Wing's corridors. All the guards pointed their guns at the smoldering, torn door. Hannibal ordered them to go out and end the Batman. They hesitantly obeyed and one after another exited out of room and stepped over the twisted doorframe.

The squad, desperate and afraid, searched the cell block corridor, but were only met with electricity pulsing through their bodies. Batman had left them a shock device. Kind of an opposite-EMP that could trigger electronic functions rather than disable them. It could also double as a proximity EMP. Once the guards were in range, the device's electronic pulse sought for the nearest an electronic inducer, shooting towards the guard's unactivated shock batons. Like an invisible trigger, the EMP device activated their shock batons of which all had holstered in a holder on either their belt or thigh. Their holstered batons switched on one after another, causing the guards to be shocked by their own batons. Like a synchronized ballet, they began to keel over as they received high powered shocks from themselves. After a few seconds, the EMP device's charge ran out and their batons powered off again. At this point, the guard's muscles were still recovering from gross overstimulation, causing instant fatigue and were completely disabled for the time being. Batman dropped down at the back of the room, dropping one corrupt doctor too in the process. A doctor next to Hannibal took aim at Batman with an micro-uzi, Batman flicked his batarang at the weapon, spiking the weapon's base.

The doctor threw his useless weapon to the floor and brandished a scalpel from a surgical end table. Batman walked towards Hannibal and the doctor. Harley was still strapped to the chair facing away from them and towards the smokey entrance. "If you want to succeed me Jed, make sure I don't land in prison." Hannibal ordered Jed, the doctor who was one of his sympathisers and followers, to attack Batman.

He charged and tried to swipe Batman's neck, he easily parried, letting the doctor's arm fly past him. Batman caught the arm mid retraction, and flung his right elbow at his face. The doctor, nose caked with blood toppled over backwards.

Hannibal looked calm. As Batman got closer to Hannibal, he spun Harley's wheelchair around to face Batman and pulled a blood covered scalpel from his doctor scrub's pocket.

It was then, only when Batman stood still he got a good look at the room. It was a big room, tall ceiling, more like an atrium. There was a single, smaller room too. Like an office. Presumably the Head of Psychiatry's office. That was where the archives would be. So why was Hannibal holding Harley?

But Batman was taken back by Lecter's previous brutality. He could now see why Hannibal's scalpel was stained in fresh blood. The Head of Psychiatry in the West Wing himself leaned back on a chair just outside of his office. There was still some sticky blood pouring from the top of his cranium, which was partially removed. His skullcap - the top of the skull was removed, but it was empty. His brain had been..

The small surgical end table next to Harley, the one full of scalpels and syringes had a silver tray of none other than the Head's half-eaten brain.

Batman was frozen, unable to act at the moment. Batman struggled to even make demands or ask questions. "Let Harley go." A typical Batman thing to say.

Hannibal kept the scalpel level with Harley's neck, who was so drugged she could barely recognise what was going on. "You see Batman. You're terribly early." Hannibal said, his cold, flat tone just inspired fear and cunning.

"Your prison transport should just be arriving now. You shouldn't even be here yet." Batman said, wanting to know how he was here way before his schedule.

"I've been here for hours, see you did get here before the transport arrived….I simply switched my name with another inmate's. Some freak they call the Joker. You know, I never understood why Gotham felt the need to be so theatrical." Hannibal laughed.

Batman growled. "What are you planning Lecter?!"

"You see Batman...I needed something from Harley - In fact, I _still_ do. I guess old friends never really stay that way. She's forcing me to take desperate measures here to get what I want."

"What do you want?" Batman said, moving very slowly toward Hannibal.

Hannibal partially dodged the question, continuing.

"I want information." Hannibal slyly said, tightening his grip on the scalpel. "Crane even let me borrow his fear toxin to get it. Didn't work, she's recovering. Strange how the one thing she fears is also the one thing she loves. My guess is classic stockholm syndrome." Hannibal looked past Batman as if someone had walked in. "Ah, Dr Crane, I forgot to thank you!"

Batman's head spun around, but it was too late. Scarecrow - Jonathan Crane, dressed as the second doctor on the Wing stepped away. Batman felt wheezy and noticed that the sharp pain was coming from his shoulder blade. He felt for it, the long cylindrical glass of a syringe, and the needle piercing both his suit and skin. Batman's knees shook, but before he fell into a deep unconscious sleep, he lashed out his arm out at Crane with the last of his strength and with a thud also - made sure to ended his consciousness too. Batman fell with Crane onto the hard, tiled floor as Hannibal approached him.

Batman awoke, he didn't know how long it had been. Hannibal was in the same place as when he woke up, but Batman wasn't. Batman put directly in front of Harley and Hannibal, as if given a front row seat. Batman wiggled his powerful arms, but the straps were too tight on his arms and legs. He realised that he was on a titled gurney and Hannibal had yet to unmask him.

The final doctor left appeared from the office and accompanied Hannibal at Harley's side.

Hannibal sat eating his...lunch...well, the brain.

"You know in southern America, Mexico, Peru...It's rude to arrive _on time_ for dinner...You see, over there it's considerate to arrive _late_ so that the host will never be in an unprepared position. Considerate, really."

Batman shook his head to wake up, and stared at Hannibal's spoonful of pink brain. He had cut it up into small squares, like a steak. "Tell me...what could Harley possibly have that you could want?" Batman asked.

Hannibal inserted the spoonful into his mouth, taking his time to chew it before speaking. "I suppose you have earned yourself an answer. I'm a man of my word." Hannibal put down his tray of brain, licking his fingertips. "Me and Harley here used to be partners here at Arkham. Officially, she was my trainee, and I, her mentor for psychiatry here. But you could say that we were more than just colleagues." Hannibal finished with his meal, putting the napkin that was around his neck over the tray of brain bits. "She was the first woman to truly understand me, way before Clarice Starling or anything at that time - that was much later as you know." Hannibal pulled up his left sleeve to reveal no hand. Batman remembered he had cut it off to avoid capture by FBI profiler Clarice Starling a few months ago. "Also, I've heard they've been able to regenerate limbs using a modified titan-lizard strain formula. I'll be sure to have my doctors test it on the patients here…" Hannibal said, as excitedly as he could.

"So why do you need Harley? You need the archives." Batman asked, impatiently.

"Indeed you are the world's greatest detective." Hannibal praised. "During our affiliation, we made a contingency plan on that computer for if I was ever caught by police." Hannibal also killed people while working at Arkham, even back then. Interesting. Harley seemed to find herself falling in love with killers, Hannibal must've been the first.

"We built up a false identity on the archives, so I could assume the identity and live out my life here at Arkham if I was ever caught. It had cash, assets and a Head of Psychiatry position here at Arkham. I'm sure you see where this is going. All I would need to do is get imprisoned here and not anywhere else." Hannibal quickened his explanation. "In my young stupidity, I trusted Harley with the password. And only Harley. I never knew it. Now, I need to access the account so I can execute the plan." Hannibal told him everything, which meant of course he had no plan on keeping Batman alive.

"How can she give you anything if she's drugged?" Batman quizzed.

"I tried Crane's fear toxin." Hannibal pointed to Crane, who was snoring from his sleep. "It didn't work the way I expected. Now I wait for her to come round…"

Batman negotiated. "I can give you the password, just let her go."

Hannibal tutted. "Oh yes I know...That device on your hip. Interesting device. But don't worry, if this fails first I'll be sure to use your method."

"You're a psychopath. I'm offering you a peaceful choice Lecter!" Batman's rage finally took over, upon realising Hannibal was going to kill her anyway for to eat, and/or for pleasure.

Hannibal exploded. "Don't try to get under my skin Batman. More cunning criminal psychologists than you have tried." Hannibal calmed himself, and then targeted Batman on a personal level.

"You really think you're that much better than me - because you have convoluted morals that you yourself question - because you have delusions of saving the world when both you and I know this world cannot be saved. But even then there's conflict. You find yourself awake at night hearing the bats, don't you? Someone close to you haunting you? Who? A girlfriend...your parents?" Hannibal knew he had hit the mark when he saw Batman's fist clench tightly. "Your parents died as you will, protecting a ridiculous vision only ever achieved in fiction. You dress as a bat as some kind of embodiment to ensue fear, when really you don the costume to fearfully shield the world from none other than yourself. Really, you wear it because you're afraid of ever leaving the Batman persona, clinging onto it as if it is your only true self. Perhaps it is, but what does that tell you about yourself? That you cower behind your cowl afraid of breaking out, at heart I know you envy every freedom _I_ have. To live with your true nature exposed and unburdened is something you desire and I possess. That's truly why you detest me." Hannibal finished slowly. Batman was left exhausted from it, but terribly angry.

"Couldn't you have just asked her for the password?" Batman asked, just trying to change the subject so he didn't compromise his own sanity.

"It all went wrong once I found out she really loved another, a patient here. Betrayed, I left and started my practice elsewhere." Hannibal said with bitterness. "I have one more trick up my sleeve as she comes around now." And Harley's legs began to move.

"You think you can control the West Wing without anyone noticing? Manage the whole medical facility and pose as a head doctor..Even if you had the password and assumed an identity, people will become suspicious." Batman said.

"The last time I was in captivity I wore another man's face to escape. Don't underestimate my ability to become someone else." Hannibal straight up rebutted.

Harley's eyes became a little wider now. "It's Dr. Lecter, Harley...I would really like that password now…"

Harley replied. "B..Bman?"

"Harley, you're going to be fine, just-"

Hannibal shushed Batman, and retrieved his scalpel. "The password...I need it from you now. Can you give it to me?"

"I don't remember…" Harley squeaked, opening her bloodshot eyes.

Hannibal sighed, but this was planned for. Hannibal took the scalpel and scratched the back of her neck with it. She winced in pain. "I know you're lying…" Hannibal said. No one could lie to Hannibal.

She did know but the fear toxin had gave her mental block..and she started to tear up. Batman was shaking in protest now, unable to do anything.

"Tell me or you'll never walk again." Hannibal bluntly said.

Hannibal licked the blood from the scalpel, and aimed it towards the middle of her neck. Her spine.

"No Hannibal!" Batman shook in his gurney.

"Fallen so far my pretty flower...such wasted potential. I guess if you spend enough time with the insane they begin to rub off on you. Trust me. I know." Hannibal said as he positioned the scalpel in a very specific place.

Hannibal smelt her neck, a drop of blood fell from the bottom of the vertical cut…"Your aroma…" Hannibal's nostrils flared up as if smelling fine wine. "It's the same as I remember. I suppose it suits you more now. It always smelt very...intrusive…"

"You know Batman, the spinal cord has always fascinated me. What should we disable first?"

Hannibal lowered the scalpel two inches down her neck. "The cervical section. Nerve C6. Her fingers and toes?" He lowered it a little more, so it was in front of the spine level with the shoulder blades. "Thoracic Nerves T2, T3, T4...The waist down?" Hannibal pointed out, before returning to the top of her neck. "From the top?" Hannibal waited, Batman stayed silent, but his heart rate was the fastest it had been for years. He had relied on having control in every situation he was ever in, but not this time. "C4 nerve it is...from the neck down...A personal favourite of mine.." Hannibal held Harley still, who was screaming. Nothing would stop Hannibal now. .

Batman pleaded. "No, please Lecter! Take my cytographic device...I can get you the password...Just don't hurt her!"

But Hannibal had his mind set on her spinal nerve. He began to make an incision, blood squeezed out of the back of her neck. Surgeon-like precision, he concentrated hard and began to apply pressure to the nerve, sending Harley into a tearful frenzy.

Hannibal roared in pain as someone from behind viciously stabbed him in the back, the needle went through a good few inches, Hannibal released Harley and swung the scalpel in the attacker's direction.

None other than Joker stood behind Hannibal, laughing. "...I thought I was bad! But eating people? Ugh! That's gotta be a joke in poor _taste_! Hahahahahaha" Joker cracked up as Hannibal began to viciously strike at him. Joker kept parrying, enjoying himself and as the other doctor began to join in Joker made sure to stick him in the neck with his homemade shank. The doctor fell, blood profusely pouring from his jugular all over Joker, Hannibal and the previously white floor. Hannibal went to make a break for it in the office. Joker, tripped him up, and crushed his hand with his big shoe. "Argh!" And Joker began to release Harley.

"It seems I caught the wrong bus. I was meant to be in here with you party poopers an hour ago!" He said as he untied Harley. Hannibal, with one hand crippled and the other missing, crawled like a insect into the Head of Psychiatry's office, and locked the door behind him.

Batman then caught Joker's eye. Joker looked back to the office and to Batman.

"I can get into the office and make sure he never comes back here again." Batman said his intentions.

Joker got close to Batman. Paused for a while. Batman thought Joker was going to wrench that shiv between his ribs, but instead Joker did a Joker.

"What's the difference between a psychologist and a magician? A psychologist pulls habits out of rats!" Habits out of rats. Rabbits out of hats. Batman didn't smile. But Joker laughed hysterically, and Harley joined in, although barely able to get up off the chair.

Joker cut Batman's restraints. "That was one Harley told me...But in my professional opinion Bats - that other psychiatrist has got no character, he needs to lighten up." Referring to Hannibal, and dropped the shiv.

Batman's restraints cut, he marched towards the office door. He used his cytographic sensor to unlock the door, but radioed the first few guards he encountered in the loft. "It's time. Call the police and have them pick up Lecter in West Wing's intensive care unit. And make sure he is transferred far from Gotham." He waited to see if someone would answer in the static.

"We're here Batman. I'm calling them now...Are my colleagues okay?"

"They'll be fine, just a few broken bones."

"Broken bones? Gee Batman, you-" Batman cut him off and squeezed his fists.

He already heard the Asylum's alarm trigger and would hear police choppers overhead soon.

Batman kicked open the door to find Hannibal waiting for them. He spun around in the chair, taking a final piece of brain from his pocket and putting it between his teeth. For the first time since he got here, he stared at someone else other than Batman.

His robotic gaze was directed to Joker, who was with Batman. The two locked gazes. Hannibal licked his lips, and tore the needle from his back.

"I wonder what kind of flavour you taste like." Hannibal smirks, genuinely interested in the Joker character that stood before him. Batman couldn't bare that smirk any longer and knocked him unconscious with a single punch.

Batman began to tie Hannibal up for the authorities and turned around to see where Joker and Harley went. He saw them escape through the smoldering hole that was the entrance and would go through the cell block and out the exit. It was a stretch, but Batman could chase them now. He opted not to, and sat down to rest. Because even Batman has long days. And what a long day it was.

Alfred appeared on holographically on Batman's wrist. "Oh my Master Bruce, you've been shot." He saw from Batman's wrist-comm.

"And anaesthetised, stabbed and psychoanalysed." Batman could think of more. If he could think at all right now.

Alfred couldn't help but insert another butler joke.

"Don't worry sir, I have your bed made and herbal tea on its way."

Batman sighed, relaxing on the bloodied desk next to him, waiting for authorities. Eta 5 minutes. 5 minutes of morning peace, he thought.

**ANNOUNCEMENT: Emergency release triggered. All cell block doors open**

Batman owed the Joker his life, and this was Joker's way of getting Batman to repay that debt. Joker's latest joke.


End file.
